June 16, 2022

Newswise — Bronx, New York, June 16th 2022 — Green Bronx Machine, an impact driven, non-profit organization has been recognized as a 2022 Classy Award Winner. The Classy Awards recognize the work of nonprofits that are driving lasting impact around the world. Classy, two of its founders, and GoFundMe are awarding a $90K prize pool to support the initiatives of the winning nonprofit organizations. 13 award winners were selected from a competitive pool of over 1,700 programs that participated in the application process.

Green Bronx Machine previously won a Classy Award in 2021 and is now the first organization to win two Classy Awards in different categories. Stephen Ritz, acclaimed teacher, founder of Green Bronx Machine, and author of The Power Of A Plant: A Teacher’s Odyssey to Grow Healthy Minds and Schools, said: “To be recognized by Classy – the preeminent voice of and for impact in our space – speaks precisely to what Green Bronx Machine is all about and what we continually seek to do: MAKE EPIC HAPPEN! This third-party validation helps change the narrative for students and communities like ours across the nation. We are humbled, grateful, and inspired as we look to the future and our continued growth. We are also forever grateful to our partners at Stepping Stones, in West Virginia, for facilitating the opportunity and Newman’s Own Foundation for providing funding and video documentation which this award celebrates. From the Bronx, to the world, at Green Bronx Machine, we can’t stop and won’t stop – we are determined to change the world!” 

“Classy Award nominees set the bar for ambitious, innovative, and impactful work in service of the greater good. These groundbreaking nonprofit organizations work tirelessly, often with too little resourcing and recognition, to drive change in their communities,” says Soraya Alexander, Classy’s COO. “We started the Classy Awards in 2009 as a way to honor this incredible cohort of organizations that give so much to the world. Congratulations to this incredible group of Classy Award winners, and a deep thank you for the work that you do.”

Now proudly in its ninth year, the Classy Awards is one of the largest social impact awards in the United States. This year’s 2022 Classy Award winners include a diverse array of organizations, from internationally recognized nonprofits tackling global issues such as food scarcity and access to healthcare to local programs that are creating equitable opportunities for workforce development and education. In 2021, the winning organizations collectively operated programs in 22 countries, reached more than seven million people, supported 70,000 students, and have dedicated a total of 186 years to their causes and missions.

This year’s class of winners includes 10 organizations awarded for their achievement in social innovation, one nonprofit awarded for its resilience in the face of ongoing challenges, a People’s Choice winner, presented by LinkedIn for Nonprofits, which was determined by public vote, and a Lifetime Achievement Award, given to a nonprofit professional who has demonstrated excellence over the course of their career in the social sector.

About Green Bronx Machine

Founded in 2011 by Global Teaching Prize finalist and life-long educator Stephen Ritz, Green Bronx Machine (GBM) is an impact driven, for-purpose organization with 501(c)(3) status.  GBM builds healthy, equitable and resilient communities through inspired education, local food systems, and 21st Century workforce development. Dedicated to cultivating minds and harvesting hope, its school-based model and propriety curriculum uses urban agriculture aligned to key school performance indicators, to grow healthy students and healthy schools.  Simultaneously, GBM also transforms once fragmented and marginalized communities into neighborhoods that are inclusive and thriving.

In the last year alone, GBM and Ritz have distributed more than 100,000 pounds of food, produced 5,000-plus pounds of produce grown locally in the Bronx, built and stocked three new food pantries, delivered weekly 152 backpacks of food to students and fulfilled more than 1,600 emergency food requests from families in need. Ritz and GBM also have trained nearly 1,500 teachers using GBM’s curriculum, impacting more than 65,000 students in the Bronx, across America and around the world and were proud to debut Let’s Learn with Mister Ritz, a  PBS children’s show with more than 2 million views.